£60m stadium opens in India after utilising technology from the West Midlands
THE world’s first purpose-built convertible arena has opened in India in a move made possible through the use of technology created in the West Midlands.
The Ahmedabad stadium, in the state of Gujarat, is the first to use StadiArena technology, which converts outdoor sports stadiums into indoor arenas at the touch of a button.
And it has opened with the staging of the Kabbadi World Cup, which is being broadcast to 125 countries around the globe.
The £60m stadium was built under a unique public private partnership (PPP) model and is hailed as India’s first truly convertible stadium, using globally patented technology created by Meriden-based StadiArena.
The cutting-edge technology allows one stand to be converted into 47,000 sq ft, 4,000-capacity, pillar-less, multi-purpose indoor arena that can host sports, concerts, exhibitions, conferences, trade shows and other events.
Ian Stokes, managing director of StadiArena, said the opening of the stadium concluded seven years of work, which began with signing a multiple licence agreement with TransStadia in 2009.
The arena offers facilities for 14 sports in a FIFA-standard 20,000 capacity football stadium. The complex also includes 70,000 sq ft of retail space and the construction of the 150-room, four-star hotel is also due to start in the next few months.
“It’s taken a long time but we are absolutely thrilled that the Ahmedabad stadium is now open and is hosting its first major sporting event. At 47,000sq ft, it is the largest open space arena in India and will also become the best football stadium in India,” said Mr Stokes.
“The work we’ve done with DIT has enabled us to grow our business overseas and we are now in an enviable position to continue our work with TransStadia.
“We anticipate developing a further 12 projects in India in the next five years, which has the potential both to change the way the world looks at Indian sport and also to change how the country’s sporting infrastructure can be developed, which is believed to be a £6bn opportunity.”
StadiArena is also active in the US, where it is expecting project approval on a major sports and leisure complex in Q2 2017, and in Australia.
StadiArena was aided in its work by export specialists from the Department for International Trade team in Birmingham for six years.
Mark Sankey, the firm’s international trade adviser (ITA), has worked with the cmpany for the past six years.
Support included helping the firm implement an international sales and marketing plan, enable its participation in DIT trade missions, introduce it to local partners and to DIT teams overseas.
Christine Hamilton, interim regional director of DIT Midlands, said: “StadiArena exemplifies just what can be achieved with a cutting-edge technology and an innovative product. It is fantastic that it was developed here in the West Midlands and that it is having a real impact on the world of sport across the world.”
